mip's scan

My Top 5 iPhone Apps

People often ask me if they can see my iPhone and see what apps I have on there.  I have pages of apps for a variety of things for both my work and personal life.  Eventually, someone will ask me "So what are the best apps?  If you had to pick 5 apps what are they?"

After having answered this question many times, I thought I'd create a post here and point out to my readers what the best apps are for me.  Again, the emphasis is on me.  The beauty of the iPhone is that with 100,000+ apps, it is highly customizable.  Everyone will have their own top 5 apps I'm sure.  For my 5 apps, I didn't consider into the mix the standard critical apps that come with the iPhone: email, phone, calendaring.  Those are apps that I open and close hundreds of times a day.  I wanted to focus on apps that I've added.  To find out what my top 5 apps are, keep reading.

iPhone App for mip's scan Now Available

Well dear readers, ever evolving how this blog reaches out to you, I am pleased to let you know that an iPhone app for mip's scan (iTunes link) is now available!

I read about an interesting service online that would create an iPhone app for users leveraging a wizard-like approach.  Being the tinker that I am, always wanting to try things first hand to see if the value is there and not just the hype, I gave AppMakr a try.  

I have been working on some actual apps for about a month now with the purpose being to really learn how it all hangs together.  I will blog and share some of that with you in the next while.  While doing this I came across AppMakr, and this service from them intrigued me and so I wanted to try it out and see the end result.  I will create a full post on the experience shortly as well and my thoughts on the future of mobile app development.  

It was a great experience and in the process, I created an iPhone app for mip's scan.  You can download it for free from here. 

What's All The Fuss About Netbooks?

I must admint that netbooks are a tech that puzzled me somewhat.  For a time I felt they were too small and, more importantly for me, too underpowered.  Of course, what I was thinking about were mini laptops that I tested over the years - there was no netbook category.  They were ultraportable laptops like a Sony UX50 or a Fujitsu Lifebook.  I liked their size (for the most part) but found them to be pokey/sluggish when it came to performance.  I loved the concept of the OQO as this really tiny computer you could use at your desk, plugged into a keyboard and monitor.  Then, when you had to leave the office, you simply grabbed the OQO, put it in your pocket and off you go.  A very appealing idea for me.  The problem again, was performance.  The device is somewhat underpowered.  The other issue - price.  You were really paying a premium for that portability.

All those things I mentioned above came back to me (mixed feelings) when I started to see this new category emerge called Netbooks.  They have been taking the markets by storm though, in a time when laptops and PCs have been taking a beating.  I often see articles that talk about how business users are warming to the netbook and how the overseas market has been soaring for these low powered mini devices, but still I scratched my head in wonderment.

A Quick Look at the iPod Touch

So for the past while I've been enjoying the use of the iPod Touch.  There have been numerous reviews of this device and so I'm not going to do an exhaustive review of every little feature here.  Suffice it to say that the iPod Touch lives up to the hype.  Often with new technology, the hype around a new product grows so large that when the device is finally released it has no chance of living up to the hype surrounding it.  The iPod Touch (and first the iPhone) had a lot of hype.  I'm happy to say though that it all works as advertised.  Dive into the video review I've got below; there I'll step through some of some of the smaller, not often mentioned aspects of this device.  It is the little things, the small attention to detail that Apple gives it products, that really enhance the ongoing use of a product.

Awaiting the iPod Touch

Of course by now you know that Apple introduced a refresh to its iPod line and in that announcement, the also introduced the iPod Touch.  I can hardly wait for this device to arrive!  I didn't want to write anything about the iPod Touch until I'd actually received it, because I like to be able to give firsthand info about the tech I write about, and not just regurgitate the news.  And rest assured, I will do a detailed post on the iPod Touch when I receive it at the end of September / start of October. 

But I thought I'd would post a thought about one application I am really looking forward to using on my iPod Touch, an application that hasn't appeared anywhere in the demos or other press releases.  I'm looking forward to being able to use Typepad, the tool I use for posting my blog.  I read with interest the details this morning as I was working on some posts-in-progress.

I have a small Typepad app on my HTC smartphone that I've used from time-to-time, but I find it to be a very bare-bones, lackluster application that misses key functionality for me. The Typepad interface for the iPhone looks gorgeous, but more than that, it looks very functional.  It allows me to manage my blog and not just put out posts.  I like that a lot.  I have found that the Typepad application I use on my HTC is more like a simple text editor, while the one for the iPhone give a much richer end-user experience to make posting blog items as natural as when sitting down at your computer.  Of course, to use this on an iPod Touch, you'd need to be leveraging the WiFi rather than being to type up a post and then simply push it out.  But the reality for me is that I'm always around WiFi enabled locations, from my home, to coffee shops to being up at the cottage, so I don't see this as being an issue. I think being able to simply turn my iPod Touch on its side, have the screen automatically go into landscape mode and begin typing posts will be an absolute joy!

And so, of course there will be many many things for me to like about the new iPod Touch, but knowing I can blog easily from it is the icing on the cake for me.  The sad part is....the end of September seems so far away. 

Stay tuned for more!

Unlocked iPhone

It was the "unlock" heard around the world.  Cellphones are always being unlocked, and in most cases, it is a complete non-event.  But that isn't the case with the iPhone, a cellphone that was starting to look like perhaps it couldn't be unlocked (it took a while..as far as phone hacks go).  Today, Engadget posted details of a software "fix" that will unlock an iPhone so it will accept any SIM. 

I was of course, at hearing the news this afternoon, ecstatic.  I was already formulating a short trip down to the Apple Store in Buffalo so I could buy my iPhone, bring it back across the boarder, apply the software patch (available next week) and begin to enjoy the phone that has capture the imaginations of so many people.

Now, many hours since the afternoon's news, I sit at home thinking.  The initial euphoria has ebbed somewhat for me and I've begun to wonder about "what could go wrong" if I go this route.  The nagging thing for me is this:  Apple has an exclusive with AT&T and I think they won't take this hack sitting down.  If I were Jobs, I'd have my engineering team buy the software from iphonesimfree.com, figure out how they did it and then promptly break it with the next iTunes update.  That is my fear.  That I could buy this phone and be super happy, and then, each time I would sync it with my Macbook Pro, I'd be wondering "what if it doesn't work after this sync?" 

It isn't like you can go without syncing the iPhone.  That would defeat the purpose.  You have to sync to update contacts, calendar entries, music and videos.  And if each sync brings the possibility that the software fix could be broken, then that could leave people holding an expensive piece of plastic.  As much as I want an iPhone, I'm not willing to risk that.  I know, I know, I'm sure that if Apple breaks the fix, then the good folks at iphonesimfree.com will figure out how to fix it again and release the software.  But what if that takes a week?  Even if it took a day, can one reasonably go without a cellphone for a day? 

This is why I think that as awesome as the unlocking software seems to be, it isn't going to be a smooth ride for those trying to go that route.  I hope I'm wrong, but bet I won't be.  What this kind of patch might do, however, is accelerate Apple getting the iPhone legitimately into other markets. Here's hoping!

A Welcomed Addition to iWork: Numbers

A spreadsheet is a spreadsheet is a spreadsheet, right? I mean, what could Apple possibly do to improve upon the classic spreadsheet? The answer is, plenty. Numbers is a breath of fresh air in the cateogory of spreadsheet applications. it changes the way we think about spreadsheets, introducing a concept that I like to call spreadsheet objects. Rather than just having a spreadsheet, you get a 'canvas' that allows you to place spreadsheets atop it. It is kind of like dekstop publishing meets spreadsheets. I like it a lot and think that this will set a new standard in spreadsheets. They have made the user interface easy to use, taking away some of the complexity that non-power users of Excel might find.

Alas, while Numbers is a great first step for Apple's spreadsheet, it does have some areas that need imrpovement.
1) Apple needs to make it so you can cut, paste AND link a spreadsheet into Pages. this is something that Microsoft office users can easily do. Numbers needs to allow you to update the spreadsheet and have that change automatically reflected in the Pages document you pasted that spreadsheet.
2) Numbers can't reference cells in other files. In Excel, for example, I can reference the cells in other workbooks. This allows you to create some complex spreadsheets and sadly, numbers doesn't allow this. To gain acceptance in the enterprise, Numbers must add this feature
3) Numbers has size limitations. A large, 24MB Excel file wouldn't open in Numbers - the error message was File too Large.
All in all, however, Numbers shows some real promise. I look forward to continue to use it.

The iMovie 08 Disappointment

I received my iLife and iWork 08 software last Wednesday and have been busy using the various new applications. I will write about each app, but today we'll talk about iMovie 08, the weakest of the updates, in my opinion.

They have done some nice user interface things. The ability to 'skim' clips is nice. The ability to see visual clips of all your projects is nice. I like that they built in a way to get clips uploaded directly to YouTube. But these improvements / new features don't make up for what iMovie 08 has lost.

No ability to create chapters, no straightforward way to send to iDVD, no video effects, and most annoying of all, very poor backward compatiblity with project createdin iMove 06. Apple, what were you thinking? For the most part, the new iMovie is greatly watered down, and doesn't allow you to easily do what we have come to expect from the iMovie app.

I was thankful the installing iLife 08 that iMovie 06 was left on my Mac as well. Apple I believe knew that users wouldn'r be happy with the new iMovie. They are also making the iMovie 06 available for download on new Macs that only come with iLife 08.

New Products From Apple

Well, I'm pleased that my post from yesterday regarding Apple's press conference resulted in upgrades to dot-Mac, especially the fact that we've got increased storage - up to 10GB.  There were of course a number of other good news items. 

Update to iWork
It was about time that Apple released a spreadsheet application as a part of the iWork suite.  I love working in Keynote as an alternate to Powerpoint.  Pages holds its own against Word.  The corporate challenge though for iWork has been the lack of a spreadsheet. Yesterday, Apple introduced Numbers, its alternative to Excel.  From the information provided online and the short demos, Numbers seems to be an easy to use and robust spreadsheet.  I'm hoping to have my copy today and then will give you my thoughts on how well it works.   They key to Numbers' success will be its ability to import/open spreadsheets created in Excel.  This will be of critical importance to corporate users.  I'm not exactly sure how well complex Excel spreadsheets, especially those with macros, will fair when opened in Numbers.  Nevertheless, I'm thrilled Apple finally gave us a spreadsheet application, and I look forward to putting it to use.

Update to iLife
I won't go into all the details, but there have been a lot of new features added to the applications in the iLife suite.  I'm particularly interested in trying out the new features in iMovie, as the interface looks somewhat changed and there appear to be new tools or ways to view your video content to make the video creation process easier.  I also like the fact that you can upload items from iMovie directly to YouTube. 

New Hardware
As expected, Apple refreshed the iMac line.  I know a few people who were planning to buy iMacs for home - well, now is the time (aren't you glad you waited....like I told you to).  Personally, there isn't anything compelling in the new line to make me want to upgrade, but it is all good news for those just getting ready to buy an iMac.  I was really hoping for an iMac with an even larger screen, but we didn't see that.  The largest is still 24".  I won't get into all the technical specs, but you can see them for yourself here.   I think what is disappointing is that Apple still hasn't given us an iMac with inputs for cable TV.  What would it take to add a television tuner?  I mean, really, if this is going to sit in my living room and double as a media hub for me, then I've got to be able to hook up my cable or satellite to it.  If I were Apple, I would have done that and created some type of PVR capabilities.

All in all, some good stuff coming out from Apple.  I was hoping there would be some mention/confirmation on the release of Leopard, but there was no indication where this update to the operating system is still on track for October, 2007. 

Once I get my hands on iWork and iLife '08, I'll do some testing and be sure to post some follow on thoughts on each of these product suites.  Here's hoping that we actually get the boxed versions of these products today here in Canada.  As of yesterday when I went to the Apple store, they had none in stock.

VMWare Fusion - Officially Available

I've been using Parallels since it came out for the Mac as the best way to have a virtualized Windows machine on my Macs.  It has worked very well.  I tested VMware Fusion beta and actually used on one production machine here where Parallels just wasn't cutting it. 

Finally the beta has been dropped from Fusion and it is officially released and ready for purchase.  I'll be testing it in a few days, but thought I'd let those of you who were using the beta know.  I'll be looking, specifically, at performance and USB support.  I've found the USB support in Parallels to be hit and miss and somewhat disappointing at times (i.e., I can't get it to successfully sync my HTC smartphone in the Windows session).  All in all, I still love Parallels, but VMWare, with their deep experience in virtualization I'm sure has created a solid product.  Look forward to testing it and letting you know what I find.